The engineers at Banks Power believe that diesel is the key to "guilt free performance" and have decided to back up their words with timeslips. This S-10 bodied drag truck posted a quarter mile run of 8.21 seconds at 165 mph, which they claim makes it the fastest and quickest diesel-powered pickup in the world (and also the first to run in an NHRA event). Power comes via a heavily modified 6.6-liter Duramax V8 with twin turbos, NOS and a host of other mods worth 1,000 horsepower, at least. The full details below:

BANKS SETS NEW RECORD WITH DIESEL-POWERED SIDEWINDER DRAG TRUCK

165 mph @ 8.21 seconds With NO Smoke!

Fontana, Calif. - Proving the high-performance diesel drag racing doesn't require crude machines belching black smoke, the high-tech Banks Sidewinder Type-D drag truck has set a new world-record for fastest and quickest quarter mile pass for a diesel-powered vehicle at the NHRA AC Delco Las Vegas Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 28. The red Chevrolet S10 bodied, Duramax-powered pickup began the record setting day with an 8.41 @158 mph, and got quicker and faster with each pass until the final of four runs posted an amazing 8.21@165mph second timeslip. This not only makes the Banks Sidewinder Type-D the fastest and quickest diesel powered pickup in the world, but also the first to run in an official NHRA sanctioned event, not a diesel-specific race.

"Those first runs in Las Vegas were really a test session for us," said company founder Gale Banks. "We borrowed an engine from our Type-R road race truck because the drag motor wasn't finished, yet right off the trailer the truck started breaking records. Once we get the drag engine in the truck I expect the numbers will be even better."

Banks, who is currently celebrating his 50th anniversary in business, believes there is a bright future for diesel in motorsports. "This truck proves that diesel is a viable performance option," Banks explains. "Thanks to the digital fuel injection technology we developed with Bosch coupled with our BankSpeed performance parts, the Duramax Diesel engine in the Type-D gets better fuel economy than some street cars. It's clean, doesn't smoke, and makes unbelievable power. This is the future of diesel-racing, not dirty old-tech engines that spew smoke and turn off bystanders. The Type-D proves my mantra of 'Guilt Free Performance.' The same technology we used in this truck goes into our production performance parts, and our customers benefit from the technology we develop on the race trucks. The result is faster, more fun to drive vehicle that doesn't smoke and won't upset the neighbors."

Banks is no stranger to diesel records: He already owns the FIA World Record for the fastest diesel pickup ever, a 217.306 two-way "flying mile" run that took place at Bonneville on October 19, 2002. The secret to clean, smoke-free diesel performance, Banks claims, lies in producing a more efficient combustion process in the cylinder that burns all the fuel in the engine, rather than dumping unburned fuel out the exhaust as thick black smoke .

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The engine itself started life as a production-line 6.6-liter Duramax V8, just like the engines powering thousands of GM pickups. The in-house engineers and machinists at Banks Power modified valvetrain and cylinder heads and added a BankSpeed intake, increasing intake port flow by 25% at peak, exhaust port flow by 55%, and keeping a high intake swirl to ensure effective combustion. Banks added twin Honeywell/Garrett racing turbochargers blowing into custom 321 stainless tube exhaust headers, with custom-designed wastegates and a Banks Nitrous system to help spool up the turbos and provide clean, smoke-free staging. A high-performance Bosch fuel injection system is electronically regulated to deliver enough fuel to produce upwards of 1000 horsepower with just a single fuel pump calibrated to 1800 bar fuel pressure.

While the Sidewinder Type-D currently holds the world record for fastest diesel pickup, the entire Banks Power Team believes the truck will run even faster once the drag engine is installed. Even more importantly, much of the technology being developed for this engine will ultimately be offered to the public through the BankSpeed race parts line, so everyone will have access to the same "Guilt Free Performance" technology that Gale Banks utilizes on his own trucks. [Source: Banks Power]